Drupal to WordPress Migration: Your Complete Agency Blueprint

Updated (first posted )

Successfully migrate from Drupal to WordPress with expert insights. Find out what to expect and how to avoid expensive mistakes.

Drupal to WordPress migration service

In this guide, you'll find insights drawn from almost 15 years of specialising in complex Drupal to WordPress migration projects. We've been in the site migration trenches at Another Cup of Coffee, facing real-world obstacles to transition everything from complex e-commerce stores on Ubercart to multilingual sites with over 250,000 articles and rich taxonomy structures.

As a media agency, developer, or site owner looking at an upcoming site transfer, you will want to fully appreciate the task ahead of you. Careful planning, attention to detail and reasonable expectations are essential.

Here I'll walk you through the entire migration process, from the initial evaluation to post-launch considerations. Whether you're leading an in-house technical team or managing external specialists, this guide will be your blueprint for ensuring a successful migration.

What We'll Cover

This guide is regularly updated to reflect current best practices and industry changes, with the most recent update in January 2025. We'll cover the following areas:

  • Planning & Strategy: Essential preparation steps, content mapping, and risk mitigation
  • Technical Implementation: Detailed migration approaches, from automated tools to custom solutions
  • Quality Assurance: Testing procedures and common pitfalls to avoid
  • Launch & Beyond: Post-migration optimisation and long-term maintenance

Scroll down to the guide sections below for a detailed breakdown of the topics.

The Goal: Practical Solutions for a Successful Migration

While migrating a website can seem daunting, with careful planning and the right approach, it can be a smooth and successful process. This guide is here to help you navigate the intricacies of a migration, offering insights and practical advice drawn from our years of experience migrating business critical websites.

Many users are drawn to WordPress due to its user-friendly interface, extensive plugin ecosystem, and lower maintenance overhead. However, the migration process involves more than just transferring content. You need to think about planning your migration approach, how to handle custom content types, taxonomies, user accounts, and critically, the impact on your SEO. This guide delves into each of these areas, offering solutions and tools to streamline the transition.

Drupal 7 End of Life and the WordPress Option

With the January 2025 end-of-life (EOL) for Drupal 7, there's more urgency for many website maintainers and owners to consider their options. Upgrading to the latest version Drupal, currently Drupal 11, might seem like the logical step but it often requires a complete rebuild due to significant architectural changes. If you're looking to reduce costs, speed up your workflow, and make life easier for your content team, you're not alone. WordPress is becoming the go-to choice for many organisations looking for an alternative to Drupal.

Key Industry Insights for Choosing WordPress

Here are some key insights gleaned from a recent WP Engine webinar about the benefits of migrating from Drupal to WordPress:

  • WordPress is Experiencing a Surge in Popularity: WordPress now powers a staggering 43% of all websites and 229,000 of the top 1 million sites by traffic. This widespread adoption speaks volumes about its versatility and appeal across various industries.
  • Cost Considerations: WordPress consistently emerges as the more cost-efficient option in the long run, primarily due to its lower development and maintenance costs. Its intuitive nature empowers marketing teams to manage content more independently, reducing reliance on developers for routine tasks.
  • Addressing Security Concerns: While security concerns regarding WordPress were prevalent in the past, the platform has made significant strides in bolstering its security infrastructure. The robust community support, frequent updates, and availability of managed hosting providers with enhanced security measures have allayed many of these concerns.
  • Real-World Success Stories: Several organizations have successfully navigated the transition from Drupal to WordPress, reaping the benefits of a streamlined workflow, improved content management capabilities, and enhanced marketing agility. Case studies like Daniels Health highlight the tangible benefits of making the switch, particularly for organizations seeking a platform that better supports their growth and evolving needs.
  • Migration Timelines: While the actual content migration process can typically be completed within a month, a full website rebuild, including design and development, might take anywhere from 5 to 12 months. This emphasizes the importance of planning and allocating sufficient time for each stage of the migration.

What You'll Learn

In this guide, you'll learn about various migration options, from manual copy-and-paste to automated plugins and custom scripts. The advantages and disadvantages of each approach are discussed, helping you choose the best fit for your specific needs. Plus, you'll find checklists for pre-migration planning and post-migration troubleshooting, ensuring a comprehensive approach that covers all the bases. This guide is your one-stop resource for making your Drupal to WordPress migration as painless as possible.

In a Rush?

I will cover the topic in detail. If you're in a rush and already know what you're doing, you might want to head straight to the following sections:

Alternatively, please request a quotation for my Drupal to WordPress migration service.

Main Sections of This Guide

Drupal to WordPress Migration: Your Complete Agency Blueprint

  1. Introduction

    This page. An overview of what to expect for this Drupal to WordPress Migration Guide.

    Reading time: 4 minutes

  2. Table of Contents

    A detailed breakdowns of each section with links to relevant sections.

  3. Background

    Understand why organisations are moving from Drupal's complex enterprise platform to WordPress's user-friendly system. Explore the risks of migration failure, including traffic drops and cost overruns, along with common mistakes to avoid.

    Reading time: 3 minutes

  4. Planning Your Migration

    Critical preparation steps for a successful transition, from content mapping to user migration strategies. Includes detailed checklists for content auditing, technical requirements, and maintaining SEO during the switch.

    Reading time: 3 minutes

  5. Content Migration

    Analysis of different migration approaches, from manual copying to automated tools and professional services. Includes detailed workflow recommendations and real-world considerations for choosing the right method for your site.

    Reading time: 3 minutes

  6. Launch and Follow-up

    Essential steps for quality assurance, troubleshooting common issues, and selecting the right hosting environment. Covers critical post-launch considerations including SEO preservation, manual adjustments, and long-term content maintenance.

    Reading time: 6 minutes

  7. Resources

    Comprehensive collection of migration tools, including SQL queries, Python utilities, and detailed worksheets. Features practical checklists for content auditing and SEO preservation, along with troubleshooting guides for common migration issues.

    Reading time: 6 minutes

Updates to this guide

Last updated on 3 January 2025.

Major revisions:

  • January 2025: Updated with latest information and reformatted to a multi-page guide for easier reading.
  • August 2018: Following on from making this a more general resource, I've renamed this page to Drupal to WordPress migration guide.
  • February 2017: This page has been receiving lots of traffic over the years. I've therefore converted it to a general Drupal to WordPress migration resource in the hope that it provides more value to visitors.
  • August 2015: It's been some time since I've updated the web-based PHP Drupal to WordPress Migration Tool. After a number of Drupal to WordPress migrations, I find the PHP and HTML platform to be inefficient for complex Drupal configurations. pyD2W is my Python-based command line replacement better suited to complex set-ups. View the repository on GitHub.
  • July 2015: Do you need to migrate images from Drupal to WordPress? Check out Brendan Carr's Drupal to WordPress Image Migration plugin.
  • 21 June 2014: Moved the The Drupal to WordPress Migration Tool repository to GitHub.
  • 26 May 2013: First release of the The Drupal to WordPress Migration Tool: drupaltowordpress-d6w35-0.3.zip